The environmental lobby and many greenie activists endlessly use and abuse the Endangered Species Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and plenty of other “ecological sensitivity”-protecting laws and regulations as justifications for expanding their agenda, which includes implementing restrictive land-use policies hostile to drilling activities and punishing hydrocarbon-based industries for supposed infractions. The Obama administration has been more than obliging in filing suits against oil-and-gas companies that they claim are in violation of their favorite eco-laws, but, remarkably, the DOJ has not bothered to prosecute a single wind-energy company… despite the fact that wind energy in the United States kills thousands of protected birds every year. Odd, isn’t it?

The Obama administration has instituted a glaringly obvious double standard in enforcing these laws, taking oil-and-gas companies to the mattresses while letting their highly-beloved, well-subsidized, and much-touted wind industry completely off the hook — but at least somebody in the federal government is paying attention to this egregiously inconsistent application of the law. Via The Hill:

Sens. David Vitter (R-La.) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) asked U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder why he is “targeting” oil and gas companies by prosecuting them for the unintentional death of birds. …

Vitter pointed out that wind energy producers kill far more birds than oil and gas companies, but that all of the bird deaths have been unintended. …

“These are important matters,” Alexander said. “The rule of law is one of the fundamental characteristics of this nation and the Department of Justice is enforcing a law against oil and gas companies and not wind energy companies.” …

“Please explain the apparent targeting of oil an gas producers for violations under the MBTA,” [the letter to Eric Holder] reads. “Do you believe it is inconsistent to prosecute energy producers for the deaths of several animals among three producers at the same time the Administration condones an energy project that plans to kill between eight and fifteen bald eagles each year?”--------------------------------------------------They sure are fact and science based aren't they? I wonder if Beeber, my cat, can be prosecuted under the Migratory Bird Act? Maybe i can scare him straight.

Announcements

When Life Gives You Lemons
We all have had hardships and made poor decisions. The important thing is how we respond and grow. Read the story of a Fool who started from nothing, and looks to gain everything.

Work for Fools?
Winner of the Washingtonian great places to work, and Glassdoor #1 Company to Work For 2015! Have access to all of TMF's online and email products for FREE, and be paid for your contributions to TMF! Click the link and start your Fool career.